They now stood on the side of a bustling street in one of Tokyo's districts. The glow of lights from shops, neon signs, and street lamps painted the night with vibrant colors. People passed by on the sidewalk, the sound of their laughter and conversations mixing with the ceaseless roar of traffic.
"A prosperous sight, isn't it?" Arthur said, his voice like a whisper amidst the city's noise.
"It is, My Lord. I have never seen a human city this prosperous," Emma nodded in agreement, her eyes observing the crowd with a discerning gaze.
"So, when we take over this country, we must maintain this prosperity, and even surpass it," Arthur continued, his tone now taking on a grand quality. "We will prove to the world that Avanheim is not a nation of barbarians who only know how to conquer and wage war, without knowing how to make its territories prosperous."
He paused for a moment, then let out a small laugh. "Of course… with various exceptions."
Epsilon, who was standing beside him holding the hand of a curious Lily, observed her master's expression. Seeing him laugh like that was, for some reason, calming.
Emma followed her master's gaze and saw a group of people whose appearance and skin color were very different from the natives of this island. She immediately understood what he meant by "exceptions."
"Lord Arthur, just leave this matter to me," Emma said. She placed her hand on her chest with a solemn look. "When Avanheim controls this country, I will send those 'animals' to the new world to mine. I believe Belial would also be pleased to have new experimental subjects to test various magical effects."
She stepped closer, her reptilian blue eyes now looking at Arthur with great enthusiasm. Her cheeks flushed, and her tone was filled with fanaticism. "I will make this country called Japan, under Avanheim's rule, the first example of how kind and compassionate you are for saving these lowly humans and giving them prosperity. I will make them thank you a thousand times over for conquering them!"
Hearing this, Arthur was horrified. He immediately noticed the strange looks from some of the pedestrians around them.
So embarrassing! Damn it! Arthur's face now felt hot and turned red, not from pleasure, but from extreme embarrassment.
Fortunately, Emma was speaking in the Monian language. Although that language was essentially English, the accent was very distinctive. So, he felt a little calmer. Even if someone happens to understand, they'll probably just think it's the ranting of a crazy person in cosplay.
Originally, my plan was to take Lily and the others to Aizuwakamatsu, since that's the closest city to the mountains where I'm going to build the warehouse. But because Lily wanted to see a bustling urban environment, and since I also wanted to buy a new car and phone, I decided to come back to Tokyo. Using Gate magic, of course. If we'd driven, it would have taken three hours to get here.
Arthur pulled his jacket tighter. He was currently wearing full winter attire: a thick black jacket, black trousers, and a red scarf wrapped around his neck, holding a transparent umbrella. Snowflakes fell gently, dancing under the city lights.
He glanced at Emma beside him, who was also wearing a similar outfit. Then, to his right, Lily, in a brown winter coat, white boots, and a red scarf, looked incredibly cute and adorable. Her nose and cheeks were red from the cold. Epsilon held her hand tightly while holding an umbrella over her.
We… now look completely like ordinary people. Thinking of that, a faint smile formed on Arthur's lips.
The reason they were wearing winter clothes was because it was currently February 1, 2025—the peak of winter in Japan. Although he, Emma, Lily, and Epsilon couldn't possibly freeze to death, he preferred to avoid unnecessary attention.
Wearing a white shirt or a dress in the middle of winter? What sane person would do that?
Arthur held the handle of his umbrella tightly and turned to Emma. "Come on, Emma. Let's go find new phones for you and Epsilon."
"Yes, My Lord." Emma's face flushed slightly. From this close, she could even see the warm vapor that came from Arthur's mouth every time he spoke.
They walked along the crowded sidewalk, and no one noticed their disguise. Amidst the thousands of pedestrians passing by, they were just four ordinary people. Arthur observed the faces of the people he passed, the flickering neon lights on the buildings, and heard the sound of laughter mixed with the hustle and bustle of the city.
So… this is Japan?
Although not one hundred percent in line with what was depicted in anime, this view, this feeling… it's exactly as I always imagined.
Seven months ago, I would have never thought I could set foot in the country I always dreamed of. Seven months ago, I could never have imagined walking around in the middle of winter, feeling the cold of the snow, and seeing all this with my own eyes.
I don't know what entity or who brought me to this world. But, what I want to say right now is….
Thank you. Thank you for making this dream and this feeling a reality.
Even if this is just a dream, I want to keep dreaming like this….
Arthur lifted his head. Cold snowflakes landed on his face. He caught one snowflake in his palm and looked at it with an incredibly gentle gaze.
"Thank you…."
"My Lord?" Emma, who was walking beside him, looked at him, confused, tilting her head slightly.
"It's nothing. Look, there's a phone store over there." Arthur quickly changed the subject, pointing to a store with various phone brands on its banner.
He folded his umbrella and placed it in the storage rack by the entrance; Epsilon did the same.
The four of them entered and were immediately greeted by a woman's voice in Japanese.
"Welcome!"
Arthur returned the greeting with a friendly smile and a slight bow, then walked over to the display case where the phones were. He looked at the rows of phones before him.
The price of an iPhone here is really cheap. So different from back in my country.
He looked at Emma, who also showed a curious expression. "What brand of phone do you want, Emma?"
"Whatever you choose, Lord Arthur. I will always accept anything the Supreme Beings give. Besides… I don't really understand this particular human technology," Emma replied with a slightly embarrassed expression.
That's right. Emma has been on Earth for less than a week. The World of Monia was set in the Middle Ages to the Steam Age. It's only natural that she doesn't really understand this technology. The fact that she can grasp the basic knowledge of modern technology is already amazing for her, even though I only told and taught her a little.
Arthur remembered when he explained all this to Emma, and his face heated up slightly. Emma had praised him excessively at the time.
"As expected of Lord Arthur! Your knowledge is limitless!" and other embarrassing compliments.
Arthur looked at Epsilon. "How about you, Epsilon?"
"I am the same as Lady Emma, My Lord. Whatever you choose, I will accept," Epsilon replied. Her hand still held Lily's tightly, who was getting impatient to explore.
"I see. And you, Lily… can you stop that?" Arthur said, his tone a little firmer.
Hearing that, Lily's cheerful expression immediately vanished. She lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, Lord Arthur. I-I was just curious about these human things and the environment. Because in Avanheim, I've never seen things like this."
Arthur's expression softened slightly. He approached Lily. "I know you're very enthusiastic and curious about all this, Lily. But we have to buy things for Emma and Epsilon first, right? After that, we'll walk around and enjoy the entertainment in this human city."
"I understand." Lily held the hem of her dress and nodded.
"Good girl." Arthur patted Lily's head with a smile, then looked back at the phone display.
"How about this one?" He pointed to a white box with a picture of a black phone and a half-eaten apple logo.
Emma stepped forward. "iPhone 16 Pro Max?"
"That's right." Arthur nodded. "This is one of the latest phones from the Apple Company, which is famous in this field and was one of the best phones last year."
"Hmm." Emma looked at the box with a slightly interested expression.
"What brand is the phone Lord Arthur uses?" she asked curiously.
"Me?" Arthur asked.
"Yes."
"As for me…" Arthur took his phone out of his jacket pocket.
"This is a Xiaomi 15 Ultra. Actually, I didn't buy this phone; it originally belonged to the thug I took it from that night. You remember, don't you?"
Emma thought for a moment, then immediately remembered. "I remember. So… that's the phone that belonged to that lowly creature? In that case, Lord Arthur, let's buy a new phone for you too, right away!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.
"No, no. I actually quite like this phone. Besides, this phone suits my taste." That's right. Honestly, I prefer phones made by Xiaomi over iPhones or other brands. It reminds me of my old phone.
"I see. In that case, I'll choose a phone like Lord Arthur's," Emma replied.
Hearing that, Arthur nodded and walked toward the cashier. Because on the display shelves, he hadn't seen any other brand of phone besides Apple.
I used to think the stereotype that Japanese people only use Apple phones and look down on other brands was just a rumor. But seeing this… it seems that's not the case.
"Can I help you, sir?"
"My friend here wants to buy a new phone, but it seems we can't find any phones other than Apple. So, I'm asking here, in case you could show us other brands," Arthur said.
"I see. In that case, what brand of phone are you looking for, sir?" the cashier asked.
"I'd like a Xiaomi phone, the 15 Ultra model," Arthur replied.
The cashier shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir. Our store doesn't sell products from China," she said with an apologetic expression and tone.
"Is that so?" Hearing that, Arthur gained a new piece of information.
"What do you think, Emma?" He turned to Emma beside him.
Emma looked coldly at the human in front of her, then answered, "In that case, the other phone is fine too, My Lord. To me, human technology is all the same."
"Alright. In that case, miss, I'll take two iPhone 16 Pro Maxes, in black and gold," Arthur said, taking out his credit card.
"Alright. Please wait a moment, sir. I'll get the items for you."
Arthur and the others waited.
"Wow, Japanese people are so rich. They can buy two iPhone 16 Pro Maxes at once."
Suddenly, Arthur heard a voice talking about him. The voice wasn't in English or Japanese, but in the language he used to speak.
Arthur turned around and saw three young men with olive skin wearing thick jackets standing behind Epsilon.
Indonesians? Seeing people from his old country, Arthur was momentarily surprised and a little happy. They must be migrant workers in Japan, right? I didn't expect to meet people from my country here.
Back then, I had thought about working in Japan like them, but I never tried.
"Sir, here are your items. The total is 499,600 yen."
Hearing the cashier's voice, Arthur was snapped out of his reverie. He immediately swiped his bank card and entered his PIN.
Payment successful.
Arthur took the white plastic bag and walked out with Emma, Epsilon, and Lily.
"Thank you for shopping at our store."
As Arthur passed the three young Indonesian men, he muttered softly, "I heard that, you know."
The three young men were instantly stunned. They all turned around and looked at the figure who had just passed them.
"That guy… did he just speak Indonesian?" one of them asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Yeah, I heard it too," another chimed in.
"Besides, his accent… didn't sound like a foreigner's."
"Could it be… he's Indonesian too?"
"I don't know."
"Gentlemen… can I help you with something?"
A sweet yet sharp voice startled them. The cashier was now looking at them with a slightly forced smile, her eyes implying impatience.
"Ah, sorry! We'll buy something right now!" the three of them replied in unison, hurriedly looking back at the display case.
"In that case, let's go try the entertainment and food in this city!" Arthur took his umbrella back and said with a happy expression to Lily and Emma.
Emma, who heard that, was also happy. "My Lord, we should eat first."
"Agreed! Agreed! Lily's hungry!" Lily held her stomach with a fake sad expression.
"Epsilon?" Arthur saw that Epsilon was just standing there silently.
"My Lord, what about that girl? I'm worried that if we leave her in the car, she'll die again," Epsilon asked.
"You've got a point." Arthur nodded. "In that case, you can take her back to Avanheim. Give her to Jarvis to find a bedroom. After that, come back."
"Take this." Arthur threw a Sealing Crystal from behind his jacket. "That crystal seals a Gate spell whose destination is already marked for the Ninth Floor, in the Throne Room. You can use that to return."
"Thank you for your help, Lord Arthur. In that case, I'll be on my way." Epsilon bowed her head, then ran toward their car.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Arthur felt the plastic bag he was holding being pulled roughly. RIP! The plastic tore, and its contents fell out. Someone quickly snatched the two phone boxes from the sidewalk and immediately ran away.
Arthur turned toward the person, only managing to see their back as they ran fast and began to disappear into the crowd.
"Did I… just get robbed?" Arthur asked with a disbelieving expression.
This is Japan. Tokyo, no less! Not New York in the United States or Paris in France! And someone dared to rob him in public?
Emma, who saw the impudent human's action, her eyes instantly radiated a cold killing intent. Lily was the same; her cute expression vanished, replaced by a savage, angry look.
"My Lord," Emma hissed, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Leave the lowly creature who dared to steal the property of a Supreme Being to me. I will make him feel what suffering is."
"Me too, My Lord! Leave this to Lily!" Lily chimed in, her voice filled with a hatred that didn't match her appearance.
"How dare a human take the property of a Supreme Being!"
"No," Arthur cut in, his eyes now fixed on the direction the robber had run. "You stay here. I'll get it back myself. Besides, this is my fault for being careless."
Arthur ran, chasing the thief. He moved casually among the crowd of pedestrians, his body weaving perfectly, avoiding everyone who blocked his path like water flowing between rocks.
What is this?
In his vision, everyone around him was moving very, very slowly. In fact, you could say they were barely moving at all, as if they were statues frozen in place.
I don't remember using the 'Time Stop' spell?
The color of the world didn't turn black and white either; it's still normal.
But… why is it like this? I'm only running at a normal human's average speed.
Suddenly, he understood.
I see… this must be because my perception of time is different from the people around me. My mind is unconsciously processing information millions of times faster, which affects my view of the world. That way, in my perception, the world moves very slowly, almost stopping.
He remembered. This was an innate skill possessed by the Abyss King of Fallen Angel race.
Arthur "turned off" the skill.
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, the hustle and bustle of the city returned, and his vision went back to normal.
"Phew." Arthur sighed in relief. Good thing this isn't a passive skill. If it were, it could be a real hassle.
The skill he had just deactivated was Perception Acceleration. A skill that allowed him to see super-fast enemy movements in slow motion. A common skill in MMORPGs, sort of like slow motion. In the past, this skill had been very helpful for him to memorize the repetitive movement patterns of enemies and in crucial moments that required high precision.
So that's it. It's a bit like the skill the protagonist had in that slime isekai anime I watched.
Arthur could finally see the back of the person who had stolen his phones. The thief occasionally looked back, and upon seeing Arthur was still chasing him, he tried to increase his speed.
Seeing the panicked behavior, Arthur let out a small, cold laugh.
"Run… as far as you can," he muttered.